The integrated project materials developed by the STEM Transitions initiative are intended as context-based teaching resources that demonstrate the convergence of technical and academic concepts. In particular, they highlight the importance of math and science concepts within the six STEM-related career clusters: Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Health Science; Information Technology; Manufacturing; Transportation; and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Over 60 projects have been developed for use in the community college classroom, although many of them can be easily modified by instructors for use at the high school level. The “projects” offer integrated content that can be used in its entirety or as a resource from which to extract a wide variety of teaching materials to enrich existing curriculum. The projects are designed for use in both technical and academic courses. Where necessary, technical background material is provided for math and science instructors along with implementation options for these two academic areas. Some projects highlight math concepts, others highlight science concepts, and some feature both math and science concepts in addition to the technical content presented. In all instances, the classroom resources one would need to conduct a project – in its entirety or selected components – are provided for the instructor, including student handouts and assessment tools.
The integrated projects were developed by the staff of CORD and 40 community college faculty representing mathematics, science, and the six technical area clusters. Whether you teach in an academic or technical area, we hope you will peruse the lesson materials in all six clusters, even those outside your area of expertise. You just might find some new ideas with which to augment your current courses or some “launching points” for the development of your own integrated projects.
We invite you to create a free user account (using the link provided at the top of this page) and begin exploring the many classroom resources housed within the integrated projects. For assistance in setting up your STEM Transitions account, download Getting Started with STEM Transitions.